Westminster College - Blue Jay Yearbook (Fulton, MO)

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'1 T -,Um :Exit ,i 195' f LW Q' , further strengthened and plans were made for securing additional endowment. The second annual commencement was held on the twenty-sixth of June, 1856. The two literary societies celebrated together their first anniversary on Monday night preceding commencement. One hundred and twenty students had been enrolled during this year. F nrther we are told that the college, hav- ing been fairly launched, was now full under way, all the regular classes were in existence and at work. Of interest in this connection is the remarkable statement made by Prof. F. T. Kemper, of Boonville. Near the close of 1856 PHYSICS LABORATORY and a few months before he accepted the chair of Physical Science at West- minster, he Wrote after a visit here, The scholarship of the students has sur- prised me much. The sophomore class would do credit to the senior class in most institutions that I have visited in the West. We can realize the high standing of Westminster College at that time, The fall session of 1857, we are told, opened With brighter prospects for the college than had been witnessed by any previous year. The attend- ance C1705 became larger than ever before,-indeed has not been equalled until ' 14 -w-,m1,....-,ff ,.x..p:.w..,....,a.... .a.aV.......,.,,r.. '

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yearn I-roxlli' I co G- ,fZ fI,2'i :'f,.P i f Three Great Interests of Man: Christianity, Education, and Liberty. The building thus begun was finished in 1854 at a cost of over 315,000 Ou this same fourth of july the cornerstone of the state School, for the Deaf and Dumb was laid in Fulton. Every Westiiiiiister man will be particularly interested in the First An- nual Cataloguef' that of 1853-4, as reprinted in Dr. Fisher's history of VVest- minster. One can readily see that though the college' had been opened but a short time, the character of its curriculum was already of the highest, comparing favor- ably with the best institutions in the state. During the year 114 students were enrolled. We find also in this catalogue that the Philologic Literary Society had been or- ganized. The Philologic Hall, which for over fifty years has been the home of this society, was dedicated two years later, in 1855. ' Some parts of this first catalogue sound f strange-times are so different now. For instance, Fulton is described as a healthy and pleasant village of about twelve hundred inhabitants, one hundred and twenty miles from St. Louis, by the stage, which runs daily and is about twenty-four hours on the way, and it is only fourteen miles from St. Aubert's Landing on the Missouri river, from which point a hack runs for public ac- cominodationf' Our branch line of the Chicago and Alton is quite anim- provement after all! We ind further, Boardingg including washing, fires, and lights, in Fulton or within a reasonable distance, is 5151.50 to i3.00aWeek. The whole expenses will average somewhere between one hundred and one hun- dred and fifty dollars a year. ' The Hrst annual commencement was in June, 1855. Mr. james G. Smith received the first diploma given by Vvestminster College. Mr. Smith, who was a minister, died in 1863. His body rests near the old homestead and near the college of which he was the first graduated son. This year the attendance had increased greatly. It was during this session that the Philalethian Literary Society was' organized. The Philalethian Hall, 110W occupied by this society, was dedicated in 1855. At this first commence- ment Rev. S. S. Laws was elected by the board to the presidency of the college. He accepted and thus became XUCSt1lll11Sl6I'yS first president. The faculty was 13 1

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3x'5TBR co 0 uuxwr uma I-rorlff' o U 'ff I is . 'x if . I mann -'z, .0- 1905-6 brought 174 students. President Laws devoted a great part of his time during this year to the work of raising additional endowment. The following year C1858-9D was a memorable one in the history of West- minster. The college opened with a still greater enrollment of students. During this year 320,000 was given to endow the Charless Professorship of Physical Science. Mr. Joseph Charless, who had been one of the most promi- nent and active friends of Westminster up to this time, was assassinated in St. Louis in june, 1859. His daughter, Mrs. E. E. Le Bourgeois endowed this chair in his memory. Professor Alfred Mayer, of the university, was chosen as the first Charless Professor. In December of this year a-bell was presented to the College. It was a magnificent one and is said to have been superior to any in Central Missouri. This bell was ruined as the result of a college prank in 1875. The present bell was received in exchange for the pieces of this old one, since even these were very valuable to the manufacturers. Seven young men graduated in june. CDr.D C. C. I-Iersmann was valedictorian of this class -the largest graduating class up to this time. , VVith this year ends what we might call the ante-bellum period of West- 1ninster's history. It was now eight years since the charter had been granted andin that time the college had become one of the foremost institutions in the West. Westminster was in the zenith of her prosperity. She was now ready for great things. But just then the Civil VVar burst like a storm over the country. We quote the following: In the spring of 1861 the clouds of war began to hover over the land. The wave of trouble beginning at the presidential elec- tion of the preceding November and rolling over the whole land, stirring society to its lowest depths, had dashed overthe college also. But amid the most intense excitement pervading the whole nation, the regular exercises were continued and the students with few exceptions were kept in their places and induced, under the influence of the faculty, to give to their studies a degree of attention which under the circumstances could hardly have been eX- pected. Although the land almost trembled under the feet of thousands hurry- ing to the field of battle, but few of the students left before commencement day.' ' In 1861 President Laws resigned. The trustees met to consider whether or not it was advisable in View of the disturbed state of the country to en- deavor to keep the college open. They decided that the work of the school should go on. Though the numbers of the faculty and of the students were greatly decreased, the work done during the year was the highest quality. There were two graduates at the end of the year. 15